


Sunshine and Joy

by DivineValley



Series: Broken Pieces [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, clones in love, slight body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 02:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13627107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineValley/pseuds/DivineValley
Summary: “Why do I remind you of sunshine?” His head is resting in Joy’s lap his eyes are shut and he can feel himself slowly being lulled to sleep by the gentle fingers running through his hair.





	Sunshine and Joy

“You’re like sunshine. Sometimes.”

“I’m wondering if I should take that as an insult or not.”

He watches him smile, that smile that shows his almost perfect teeth all except for his canine that’s chipped. It happened during cadet training, the butt of a gun to his face caused the chip, he spits the broken piece right into his hand and laughed showing it off to everyone.

He always found joy in everything it’s why his name suited him.

Joy. 

Joy whose smiles in the face of danger and fear, he smiles and hollers to raise morale, Joy who knows the perfect way to make caff and tell a story that entrances all around him. Joy brought joy to everyone. Even to those who found him odd couldn't deny the charm he had.

He still can’t understand how someone like Joy could find his company something to treasure.

They hadn’t even been in the same batch or training unit, in their academy days they had only fleeting meetings. A hello, a goodbye sometimes they’d share small talk during eating hours. Joy always sought him out, always the one to pursue him with that smile that made him strangely week in the legs and his brain a little stupid.

“Tell me, how am I like the kriffing sun?”

“I dunno, can’t a guy just give you a compliment?” 

“Is it a compliment if it’s coming from a weirdo?”

Joy calls him Sunshine from now on, he abandons the name he was using, Sunshine sounds so much better when Joy says it. 

They even get their names tattooed on one another’s shoulders.

Sunshine and Joy, you can’t find one without the other, it’s like they’re one in the same. From their time touching down on Geonosis they intend to stay together and see the end of the war. Joy is a dreamer he has their entire future planned out. They’ll retire somewhere warm, tropical, drink fizzy fruity drinks grow old and fat together. 

Perhaps even call one another by another name...

**Riduur.**

It was a beautiful dream, so beautiful that it was foolish to believe it could be a reality. Happy endings for clones were not possible in their lives, they can try to forget what they are. They can pretend they were normal men, normal soldiers who would be able to move on at the end of the war. That they’d be viewed as heroes and be given what they deserve for their service. No, oh no what a silly foolish thought.  They could play pretend for a while before the truth comes crashing down in a burning inferno reminding them all what they truly were.

His left arm is gone, it had been torn clean off but Joy, his Joy...his legs, his right arm. It was cruel, cruel that they both survived the crash that caused this. There’s nothing their medics can do for them so they’re sent back home, back to Kamino where the end shall come. Into a sterile white room where doctors and medical droids hover over them preparing to end their existence.

All he wants to do is reach out across the gap on the cold table he’s laid upon, reach out and hold Joy’s hand one last time. He tries to, he weakly moves trying all he can to feel him one last time.

He can see Joy doing the same, their fingers brush ever so slightly and eyes meet an unspoken promise made. 

Let’s march away together, riduur. 

He waits for death he welcomes it, he doesn’t fight, there’s no more reason to and yet his eyes open, he’s in recovery now, why? The reason? Apparently, he was a pretty damn good Sargeant, they still had a use for him. 

How could he be of use now? It’s only after that thought he notices.

He _feels it._

He _see’s it._

He doesn’t even have to ask because he knows those fingers, those blunt fingers nails that were often chewed down to the nub. That tiny freckle that he had spent countless nights kissing and admiring and he doesn’t need to even to turn his head to know there’s a tattoo of his own name on this shoulder. A shoulder that doesn’t belong to him, an arm that isn’t his.

There had been rumors, stories but who actually believed them? It seemed too crazy, crazy ass shit soldiers made up just to spook the others, they didn’t actually recycle parts of other clones. That was crazy! It was fucking crazy!

**It’s FUCKING crazy! It’s not real!**

**It’s not real!**

**It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real!**

But it is.

_“Why do I remind you of sunshine?” His head is resting in Joy’s lap his eyes are shut and he can feel himself slowly being lulled to sleep by the gentle fingers running through his hair._

_Joy laughs, he can almost see the playful smile on his face, the rolling of his eyes.“You still on that? Can’t you just take a compliment?”_

_“C’mon can’t you just tell me? Brii’ikaaa...” He uses his whiny tone, he’s been told he could be brattish, so he uses it to his advantage knowing Joy will give in.  
_

_There’s a huff and there’ s a pinch on the cheek that causes him to whine even more and finally open his eyes. Even upside down that smile looks amazing._

_“Fine, fine you big baby. It’s because Sten...you give me hope. Hope for a better future...a better life. So that is why I think you’re like sunshine, happy?”  
_

_Turning his head Sten places a kiss on Joy’s palm and he smiles up at him a strange light feeling fluttering in his chest. “Very.”_

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah I definitely cried while writing this. Gosh Sten became so much more than I had first intentioned him to be.


End file.
